Five people shot dead by Indian paramilitary troops in Kashmir

Protests have erupted in the Indian-administered Kashmir after at least five people were killed and a dozen were injured by Indian paramilitary troops, Press TV reports.

Security sources said the shootout took place in the Shopian district, situated about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Srinagar, the main city in the Indian-administered Kashmir, on Saturday.

According to Indian security forces the shooting was aimed at repulsing an alleged militant attack. Witnesses and locals, however, refused the claim, saying that Indian troops opened fire unprovoked. The shooting incident left at least a dozen people injured mostly with wounds in their stomach.

Later in the day, hundreds of people took to the streets in Shopian district to voice their resentment over the shooting with police firing tear gas and using batons to disperse the crowds.

Meanwhile, at least nine people, including five policemen and two members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), sustained injuries in a grenade attack in Kashmir on Saturday.

Police said the attack happened in Pulwama town, situated about 35 kilometers (21 miles) south of Srinagar.

Locals said the attack created panic in the town. Contingents of police and CRPF rushed to the site soon after the attack, and an investigation is underway.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both countries claim the region in full but each only has control over a section of the territory.

Over the past two decades, the conflict in Kashmir has left over 47,000 people dead by the official count, although other sources say the death toll could be as high as 90,000.